Method and system of multi-source marine seismic surveying

ABSTRACT

A method and a system of marine seismic surveying is disclosed. The method includes the step of acquiring a set of seismic survey data in a marine seismic survey, the set of acquired seismic survey data including a first received signal generated by a first source signal, and, a second received signal generated by a second source signal, wherein the first source signal is a continuously varying seismic signal transmitted by a first source over a predetermined period of time, and, the second source signal is an impulsive seismic signal transmitted by a second source signal over the same predetermined period of time; and, processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal. In a preferred form, the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic source.

FIELD

The invention relates generally to the field of marine seismic surveying. More particularly, the invention relates to a marine seismic survey conducted using a first source transmitting a continuously varying seismic signal and a second source transmitting an impulsive seismic signal.

BACKGROUND

Seismic surveying is used to map the geology of formations in a survey area by way of detecting the elastic properties of different geological features. Marine seismic exploration investigates and maps the structure and character of subsurface geological formations underlying a body of water. Marine seismic surveying typically uses a marine survey vessel to tow a seismic source through a body of water over the survey area whilst actuating the seismic source at selected intervals of time. Making a marine seismic survey of the structure and character of a subsea geological formation relies on intermittently activating the seismic source to generate seismic waves which travel through the body of water and the seabed before being refracted through the earth or reflected at interfaces associated with geological features within the subsea geological formation. The various seismic signals are received by a plurality of seismic signal receivers or sensors and recorded for further analysis. In a marine environment, one or more streamer cables may be towed by the survey vessel or by another vessel over the survey area, each streamer cable comprising a plurality of seismic signal receivers arranged at spaced apart locations along the length of the streamer cable. Alternatively or additionally, the seismic signal receivers may be arranged on the sea bed and the seismic source may be towed behind a separate vessel

There are two types of seismic sources in use at this time. The first type is an ‘impulsive’ seismic source which is ‘shot’ at intermittent time intervals to produce ‘pressure waves’ or ‘P-waves’. Examples of an impulsive seismic source are explosive devices such as ‘air guns’, ‘gas guns’ or ‘sleeve exploders’ or implosive devices. When an airgun is shot, it discharges air under very high pressure into the water. The discharged air forms a bubble which oscillates at a given frequency which is a function of the size of the airgun and how far below the surface of the water the airgun is located at the time that it is fired. This air bubble generates a pressure wave that expands outwards into a large volume until it interacts with a geological feature and generates a reflected seismic signal. One problem with the use of air guns is the interaction of the pulse of air with the surface of the water which creates a reflected ‘ghost signal’ that interferes with the reflected seismic signals from the geological features of interest that are being surveyed. The seismic signal generated by impulsive seismic sources has a waveform that cannot be precisely controlled and is either on or off.

Due to the physical limitations associated with generating and collapsing a bubble of air in seawater, another problem with the use of conventional impulsive seismic sources is that airguns only generate significant energy above around 5 Hz. One of the limiting factors for air guns (and water guns) with respect to a lowest practical output frequency is the size of the chamber used to store the pressurized gas, air or water. The low frequency energy is further reduced by the destructive interference of the ghost signal reflected from the surface of the water. Consequently, conventional airguns are only capable of generating a seismic signal having bandwidth in the range of 10 to 250 Hz. Attempts have been made to overcome this inherent problem of not being able to generate low frequency seismic signals using airguns by making them bigger or towing them at lower depths below the surface of the water. However, the pressure on the air bubbles generated when conventional airguns are towed more deeply under the water is increased making it more difficult to generate a large air bubble of lower frequency, with the result that the capacity of the air guns must also be increased to generate a signal of equivalent size. Attempts have also been made to operate multiple air guns of different sizes in an attempt to cancel out unwanted ghost signals. Despite these attempts, a particular limitation to impulsive seismic sources known in the art is that they are not capable of generating low frequency seismic energy, typically less than about 5 Hz.

The second type of seismic source is a marine vibrator that generates a waveform that can be controlled (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,863,202, U.S. Pat. No. 3,349,367, U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,747, U.S. Pat. No. 4,918,668, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,102,731). Marine vibrators typically include a pneumatic or hydraulic actuator which causes an acoustic piston to vibrate at a selected frequency. The vibrations of the acoustic vibrator produce pressure differentials in the water which generate seismic pulses free from spurious bubbles. Vibrator-type seismic energy sources are programmed through control signals to generate energy in the seismic frequency bandwidth of between 10 and 190 Hz. At these frequencies, the reactive mass or diaphragm must be relatively large, and the amount of motion that must be imparted to the radiating surface is also relatively large. Controlling such motion so that it faithfully corresponds to the electrical control signal has proven to be difficult. Thus, one of the limiting factors of a seismic energy source such as a marine vibrator is the power required to move the driving element at low frequencies and to maintain a reasonably pure tone, because hydraulically driven devices in the vibrator may have difficulty shifting the required fluid volume for such low frequencies. Consequently, a particular limitation to vibrator seismic sources known in the art is that they are not capable of generating low frequency seismic energy, typically less than about 10 Hz.

Whilst it is relatively easy to detect a geological interface where there are very sudden changes in the geological properties of the earth using conventional mid to high frequency seismic sources, it is only possible to detect gradual changes between the various layers in a formation at low frequencies. This limited range of bandwidths available with conventional seismic sources has the result that information regarding gradual changes in the geological features cannot be captured. When seismic survey data is collected, it is subjected to processing to attempt to recreate all the physical properties of the earth that relate to the propagation of seismic waves. One of the modelling techniques used during processing is called ‘Full Waveform Inversion’. Because it is not possible to measure low frequency information below 5 Hz using conventional seismic sources, the seismic data that is acquired using conventional seismic sources is subjected to months of processing to estimate such parameters as the velocity and density to allow Full Waveform Inversion to commence. In the absence of low-frequency observed data below 5 Hz, full wave form inversion algorithms will not converge on the correct earth model due to the problem of local minima. Current approaches use conventional velocity tomography to create a ‘starting model’ for Full Waveform Inversion containing low-frequency information not measured in the survey. This approach has several major shortcomings. It requires a full seismic processing and imaging workflow to be applied before the tomography step can be conducted. This is time consuming and expensive. The result is a model with features in the range of 0 to 2 Hz. However, tomography still cannot resolve features in the range of 2 to 5 Hz which means that the result is a poor starting model for Full Waveform Inversion and the local minima problem is not satisfactorily addressed.

There remains a need in the art for an alternative marine seismic surveying method and system source capable of supplying the lower frequencies required to more accurately characterise subsea geological features.

SUMMARY

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of acquiring marine seismic survey data comprising:

-   -   transmitting a first source signal from a first source into the         marine environment over a predetermined period of time, the         first source signal being a continuous seismic signal having a         bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to 5 Hz;     -   transmitting a second source signal from a second source into         the marine environment over the predetermined period of time,         the second source signal being an impulsive seismic signal         having a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz;     -   detecting a first received signal generated by the first source         signal, and, a second received signal generated by the second         source signal at a marine seismic receiver to produce a set of         acquired seismic survey data; and,     -   recording the set of acquired seismic survey data during a         marine seismic survey for subsequent processing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of processing marine seismic survey data comprising:

-   -   accessing a recorded set of seismic survey data acquired in a         marine seismic survey, the set of acquired seismic survey data         including a first received signal generated by a first source         signal, and, a second received signal generated by a second         source signal, wherein the first source signal is a continuous         seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to         5 Hz transmitted by a first source over a predetermined period         of time, and, the second source signal is an impulsive seismic         signal having a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz         transmitted by a second source signal over the predetermined         period of time; and,     -   processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract         the first received signal and the second received signal.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the second source transmits an impulsive seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz to 300 Hz. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the second source is an air gun, gas gun or sleeve exploder.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the method further comprises a marine seismic receiver for detecting the first received signal generated by the first source signal, and, the second received signal generated by the second source signal, to produce a set of acquired seismic survey data.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the step of processing comprises the step of applying Full Waveform Inversion to the first received signal and the second received signal to generate a final model. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the step of processing comprises the step of applying Full Waveform Inversion to the first received signal to generate an initial model and using the initial model as a starting point for applying Full Waveform Inversion to the second received signal to generate a final model. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the step of processing comprises applying Full Waveform Inversion processing to the first received signal data and then the second received signal data.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the marine seismic receiver is a single streamer towed from a seismic survey vessel and the method comprises recording the set of acquired seismic survey data on a data recorder, wherein the data recorder is positioned on a marine survey vessel or positioned at a remote location. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the streamer is one of a plurality of streamers in a towed array. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the marine seismic receiver is an ocean bottom cable arranged on the ocean floor. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the ocean bottom cable is one of a plurality of ocean bottom cables in a seabed array.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the marine seismic receiver is a seabed array comprising a plurality of ocean bottom nodes. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first source is towed using a first source tow cable behind a marine survey vessel and the second source is towed using a second source tow cable behind the marine survey vessel. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the second source and a towed array of streamers is towed behind a marine survey vessel and the first source is towed behind a second vessel. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first source is arranged at a fixed location on the ocean floor.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first source is suspended to a pre-determined depth from a buoy arranged at a fixed location at the waterline. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first source is one of a plurality of first sources arranged in a first source array. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first source array includes one of the plurality of first sources towed behind a marine survey vessel and a second one of the plurality of first sources towed behind a second vessel. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, a first source is arranged at a long offset location and a second source is arranged at a short offset location. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the second source is one of a plurality of second sources arranged in a second source array. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the second source array is a phased array. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the second source is arranged at a depth below the waterline of at least ten meters.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, a first source array includes a first source suspended from a first buoy at a first predetermined depth below the waterline with another first source being suspended from a second buoy at a second predetermined depth (below the waterline. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first received signal is an encoded signal. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the marine seismic survey is a narrow azimuth, wide azimuth, or multi-azimuth survey. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the marine seismic survey is a coil, slanted cable, or ocean bottom survey. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the marine seismic survey is 4D seismic survey.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source comprises:

-   -   a casing having a central longitudinal axis;     -   a fluid flow channel having a first end and a second end and a         longitudinal axis extending from the first end of the fluid flow         channel to the second end of the fluid flow channel;     -   a plurality of electromagnets arranged along the channel for         generating a uniform magnetic field at right angles to the         central longitudinal axis of the channel;     -   a first electrode positioned on a first side of the fluid flow         channel, the first electrode being positioned opposite a second         electrode that is positioned on a second opposing side of the         fluid flow channel; and,     -   a controllable power source in electrical communication with the         first electrode and the second electrode for generating a         continuously varying electric field between the first electrode         and second electrodes to generate a continuously varying inflow         of seawater into the first end of the fluid flow channel with a         corresponding continuously varying outflow of seawater in the         form of a seismic signal being produced from the second end of         the fluid flow channel.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the plurality of electromagnets includes a first electromagnet arranged along a first side of the channel and a second paired electromagnet arranged on a second opposing side of the channel, and, each of the plurality of electromagnets is a saddle-type electromagnet. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, each of the plurality of electromagnets is a superconducting electromagnet.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, each superconducting electromagnets has a polarity and the polarities of the plurality of superconducting magnets arranged along the casing are paired and opposed such that a first inflow of seawater enters at the first end of the fluid flow channel, and a second inflow of water enters at the second end of the fluid flow channel, wherein the fluid flow channel includes a discharge port for producing an outflow of seawater in the form of a seismic signal and the discharge port is positioned a discharge location intermediate between the first end of the fluid flow channel and the second end of the fluid flow channel.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the discharge location is centrally located between the first end of the fluid flow channel and second end of the fluid flow channel. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the discharge port takes the form of a plurality of spaced apart apertures such that the outflow of seawater is directed radially outwardly from the fluid flow channel.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the casing has a central longitudinal axis and the longitudinal axis of the fluid flow channel is parallel to or coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the casing.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first seismic signal has a broadband waveform. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first seismic signal has a coded waveform. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the first seismic signal has a continuously varying waveform in the form of a spike, a narrow band signal, or a monochromatic waveform. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the fluid flow channel is one of a plurality of fluid flow channels, each fluid flow channel having a first end and a second end and a set of first and second electrodes.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the casing has a central longitudinal axis and the longitudinal axis of each fluid flow channel is parallel to and radially offset from a central longitudinal axis of the casing so that the plurality of flow fluid channels is evenly spaced around the circumference of the casing.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the plurality of electromagnets is provided in the form of a plurality of electromagnet segments. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, there is a corresponding number of the plurality of fluid flow channels and the plurality of electromagnet segments. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the plurality of electromagnet segments is a plurality of toroidal or solenoidal magnet segments, arranged around the circumference of the casing.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the casing is cylindrical and has a circumference, and, the plurality of fluid flow channels is arranged at radially evenly spaced intervals around the outside of the circumference of the casing. In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the plurality of fluid flow channels comprises a first subset of fluid flow channels and second subset of flow fluid channels and the power source is configured so that the direction of the inflow into the first subset of fluid flow channels is reversed relative to the direction of the inflow of seawater into the second subset of fluid flow channels.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the electrical field being generated across each set of first and second electrodes is tuned to adjust the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of channels to counteract an overall drag force experienced by the magneto-hydrodynamic source when towed behind a marine vessel in use.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the electrical field being generated across each set of first and second electrodes is tuned to adjust the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of channels so that the magneto-hydrodynamic source can be self-propelling.

In one form of the first or second or third aspect, the power source is one of a plurality of power sources.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention there is provided a system for acquiring marine seismic survey data, comprising:

-   -   a first source for transmitting a first source signal into a         marine environment over a predetermined period of time, the         first source signal being a continuous seismic signal having a         bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to 5 Hz;     -   a second source for transmitting a second source signal into the         marine environment over the predetermined period of time, the         second source signal being an impulsive seismic signal having a         bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz;     -   a marine seismic receiver for detecting a first received signal         generated by the first source signal, and, a second received         signal generated by the second source signal, to produce a set         of acquired seismic survey data; and     -   a data recorder for recording the set of acquired seismic survey         data for subsequent processing.

In one form, the first source transmits a continuously varying seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0-5 Hz. In one form, the second source transmits an impulsive seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz. In one form, the second source transmits an impulsive seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz to 300 Hz. In one form, the second source is an air gun, gas gun or sleeve exploder.

In one form, the system further comprises a marine seismic receiver for detecting the first received signal generated by the first source signal, and, the second received signal generated by the second source signal, to produce a set of acquired seismic survey data.

In one form, the marine seismic receiver is a streamer towed from a seismic survey vessel and the method comprises recording the set of acquired seismic survey data on a data recorder, wherein the data recorder is positioned on a marine survey vessel or positioned at a remote location. In one form, the streamer is one of a plurality of streamers in a towed array. In one form, the marine seismic receiver is an ocean bottom cable arranged on the ocean floor. In one form, the ocean bottom cable is one of a plurality of ocean bottom cables in a seabed array. In one form, the marine seismic receiver is a seabed array comprising a plurality of ocean bottom nodes.

In one form, the first source is towed using a first source tow cable behind a marine survey vessel and the second source is towed using a second source tow cable behind the marine survey vessel. In one form, the second source and a towed array of streamers is towed behind a marine survey vessel and the first source is towed behind a second vessel. In one form, the first source is arranged at a fixed location on the ocean floor. In one form, the first source is suspended to a pre-determined depth from a buoy arranged at a fixed location at the waterline.

In one form, the first source is one of a plurality of first sources arranged in a first source array to generate directional acoustic energy form a plurality of continuously varying seismic signals. In one form, the first source array includes one of the plurality of first sources towed behind a marine survey vessel and a second one of the plurality of first sources towed behind a second vessel. In one form, a first source is arranged at a long offset location and a second source is arranged at a short offset location. In one form, the second source is one of a plurality of second sources arranged in a second source array. In one form, the second source array is a phased array.

In one form, the second source is arranged at a depth below the waterline of at least ten meters. In one form, the first source array includes a first source suspended from a first buoy at a first predetermined depth below the waterline with another first source being suspended from a second buoy at a second predetermined depth (below the waterline. In one form, the first received signal is an encoded signal.

In one form, the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source. In one form, the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source comprises:

-   -   a casing having a central longitudinal axis;     -   a fluid flow channel having a first end and a second end and a         longitudinal axis extending from the first end of the fluid flow         channel to the second end of the fluid flow channel;     -   a plurality of electromagnets arranged along the channel for         generating a uniform magnetic field at right angles to the         central longitudinal axis of the channel;     -   a first electrode positioned on a first side of the fluid flow         channel, the first electrode being positioned opposite a second         electrode that is positioned on a second opposing side of the         fluid flow channel; and,     -   a controllable power source in electrical communication with the         first electrode and the second electrode for generating a         continuously varying electric field between the first electrode         and second electrodes to generate a continuously varying inflow         of seawater into the first end of the fluid flow channel with a         corresponding continuously varying outflow of seawater in the         form of a seismic signal being produced from the second end of         the fluid flow channel.

In one form, the plurality of electromagnets includes a first electromagnet arranged along a first side of the channel and a second paired electromagnet arranged on a second opposing side of the channel, and, each of the plurality of electromagnets is a saddle-type electromagnet.

In one form, each of the plurality of electromagnets is a superconducting electromagnet.

In one form, wherein each superconducting electromagnets has a polarity and the polarities of the plurality of superconducting magnets arranged along the casing are paired and opposed such that a first inflow of seawater enters at the first end of the fluid flow channel, and a second inflow of water enters at the second end of the fluid flow channel, wherein the fluid flow channel includes a discharge port for producing an outflow of seawater in the form of a seismic signal and the discharge port is positioned a discharge location intermediate between the first end of the fluid flow channel and the second end of the fluid flow channel. In one form, the discharge location is centrally located between the first end of the fluid flow channel and second end of the fluid flow channel. In one form, the discharge port takes the form of a plurality of spaced apart apertures such that the outflow of seawater is directed radially outwardly from the fluid flow channel.

In one form, the casing has a central longitudinal axis and the longitudinal axis of the fluid flow channel is parallel to or coaxial with the central longitudinal axis of the casing.

In one form, the first seismic signal has a broadband waveform. In one form, the first seismic signal has a coded waveform. In one form, the first seismic signal has a continuously varying waveform in the form of a spike, a narrow band signal, or a monochromatic waveform.

In one form, the fluid flow channel is one of a plurality of fluid flow channels, each fluid flow channel having a first end and a second end and a set of first and second electrodes.

In one form, the casing has a central longitudinal axis and the longitudinal axis of each fluid flow channel is parallel to and radially offset from a central longitudinal axis of the casing so that the plurality of flow fluid channels is evenly spaced around the circumference of the casing.

In one form, the plurality of electromagnets is provided in the form of a plurality of electromagnet segments. In one form, there is a corresponding number of the plurality of fluid flow channels and the plurality of electromagnet segments. In one form, the plurality of electromagnet segments is a plurality of toroidal or solenoidal magnet segments, arranged around the circumference of the casing. In one form, wherein the casing is cylindrical and has a circumference, and, the plurality of fluid flow channels is arranged at radially evenly spaced intervals around the outside of the circumference of the casing.

In one form, the plurality of fluid flow channels comprises a first subset of fluid flow channels and second subset of flow fluid channels and the power source is configured so that the direction of the inflow into the first subset of fluid flow channels is reversed relative to the direction of the inflow of seawater into the second subset of fluid flow channels.

In one form, the electrical field being generated across each set of first and second electrodes is tuned to adjust the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of channels to counteract an overall drag force experienced by the magneto-hydrodynamic source when towed behind a marine vessel in use.

In one form, the electrical field being generated across each set of first and second electrodes is tuned to adjust the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of channels so that the magneto-hydrodynamic source can be self-propelling.

In one form, the power source is one of a plurality of power sources.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The manner in which the objectives of the invention and other desirable characteristics can be obtained is explained in the following description and attached figures in which:

FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a first embodiment of the method of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view representation of a single streamer marine seismic survey using a first source suspended from a buoy and a second source to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view representation of a towed array marine seismic survey using four streamers with a second source towed by the marine survey vessel and a first source towed behind a second marine vessel to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 4 is a schematic side view representation of a single ocean bottom cable marine seismic survey using a first source and a second source towed behind the same marine survey vessel to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view representation of an ocean bed array marine seismic survey using five ocean bottom cables streamers with a second source towed by the marine survey vessel and a first source suspended from a buoy or positioned on the sea floor to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view representation of a marine seismic survey using a plurality of ocean bottom nodes arranged in an array, with a first source positioned on the sea floor and a plurality of second sources arranged in a second source array being towed behind a marine survey vessel to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view representation of a marine seismic survey using a plurality of ocean bed nodes arranged in an array, with a first source and a second source being towed by the marine survey vessel with another first source suspended from a buoy or positioned on the sea floor to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view representation of a towed array marine seismic survey using four streamers with a first source and a second source towed by the marine survey vessel and a first source towed behind a second marine vessel to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 9 is a schematic side view representation of a single streamer marine seismic survey using a first source array in which one of the first sources is positioned at a short offset (either suspended from a buoy or positioned on the ocean floor or both), with another first source positioned at a long offset, and, with a second source towed the marine survey vessel to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 10 is a schematic side view representation of an seabed marine seismic survey using a first source array in which one of the first sources is suspended from a first buoy at a first predetermined depth below the waterline and another is suspended from a second buoy at a second predetermined depth below the waterline, along with a plurality of second sources arranged in an array being towed by a marine survey vessel to generate a set of acquired seismic data;

FIG. 11 is, a flow chart of one embodiment of the method of acquiring marine seismic survey data;

FIGS. 12A and 12B provide a flow chart of a method of processing marine seismic survey data.

FIG. 13 shows selected portions of the hardware and software architecture of a computing apparatus such as may be employed in some aspects of the present invention;

FIG. 14 depicts a computing system on which some aspects of the present invention may be practiced in some embodiments;

FIG. 15 is a side view of a first embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention;

FIG. 16 is a cross-section view of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of FIG. 1 as viewed through cross-section A-A;

FIG. 17 is a side view of a second embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention including a discharge port;

FIG. 18 is a cross-section view of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of FIG. 3 as viewed through cross-section A-A;

FIG. 19 is a cross-section view of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of FIG. 3 as viewed through cross-section B-B;

FIG. 20 is a side view of a third embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention in which the discharge port comprising a plurality of apertures;

FIG. 21 is a cross-section view of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of FIG. 6 as viewed through cross-section A-A;

FIG. 22 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic source showing a corresponding number of fluid flow channels and a plurality of toroidal coil magnet segments evenly spaced apart around the circumference of the casing with the power supply controlled to cause the inflow of seawater in the same direction through each subset of the plurality of flow channels;

FIG. 23 illustrates an end cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16;

FIG. 24 illustrates a side cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic source showing a corresponding number of fluid flow channels and a plurality of toroidal coil magnet segments evenly spaced apart around the circumference of the casing with the power supply controlled to cause the inflow of seawater in opposing directions through each subset of the plurality of flow channels;

FIG. 25 illustrates an end cross-sectional view of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 16;

FIG. 26 illustrates an end cross-section view of an embodiment with a plurality of fluid flow channels, each with a pair of saddle-type electromagnets, the plurality of fluid flow channels arranged evenly spaced apart within the circumference of the casing; and,

FIG. 27 illustrates an end cross-section view of an embodiment with a plurality of fluid flow channels, each with a pair of saddle-type electromagnets, the plurality of fluid flow channels arranged evenly spaced apart around the outside of the circumference of the casing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Particular embodiments of the present invention are now described. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these details and that numerous variations or modifications from the described embodiments may be possible. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs.

The term ‘marine seismic survey’ refers to a seismic survey conducted in a marine environment. Note that marine surveys may be conducted not only in saltwater environments, but also in fresh or brackish waters.

The term ‘towed streamer survey’ refers to one or more streamers, each streamer comprising multiple sensors or receivers, being towed behind a survey vessel. When more than one streamer is used, the term ‘towed-array streamer survey’ is used.

The term ‘seabed survey’ or ‘ocean-bed survey’ refers to one or more seismic cables, each cable comprising multiple sensors or receivers, being laid on the ocean floor, or sea bottom. When more than one cable is used, the term ‘seabed-array survey’ is used.

The term ‘source ghost signal’ is used to refer to the energy reflected at the interface between the surface of a body of water and the pressure wave emitted by a seismic source.

The presently claimed invention is based in part on a realisation that acquiring low-frequency seismic data at the same time as conducting a conventional seismic survey will allow purely data-driven Full Waveform Inversion techniques to be successfully applied for the first time. As illustrated in FIG. 1 which illustrates a flow chart of one embodiment of the method (10) of the presently claimed invention, step (12) comprises acquiring a set of seismic survey data in a marine seismic survey, the set of acquired seismic survey data including a first received signal (14) generated by a first source signal, and, a second received signal (16) generated by a second source signal. The first source signal is a continuously varying seismic signal transmitted by a first source over a predetermined period of time. The second source signal is an impulsive seismic signal transmitted by a second source signal over the same predetermined period of time. The method further includes step (18) which comprises processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal. Having extracted both signals, Full Waveform Inversion processing is applied to the first received signal data and then the second received signal data. The marine survey can use any geometry including narrow azimuth, wide azimuth, multi-azimuth, coil, slanted cable, ocean bottom, sparse nodes, permanent arrays etc. This could also be used in 4D seismic applications.

A key feature of the system and methods of the present invention is that the first source transmits a continuously varying seismic signal. Preferably, the continuously varying seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0-5 Hz. The continuously varying seismic signal may be transmitted using a mechanical or electrical marine vibrator configured to generate a continuously varying seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to 5 Hz. In a preferred embodiment, the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source configured to generate a continuously varying flow of water. The continuously varying flow of water is oscillated preferably in the bandwidth range of 0 to 5 Hz. Such magneto-hydrodynamic seismic sources are not known to be used in the art of marine seismic surveying. Accordingly, embodiments of a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source which is capable of being used as the first source for the present invention are described in detail below.

The second source is a conventional impulsive seismic source, such as an air gun, gas gun or sleeve exploder. A conventional air gun relies on transmitting a pulse or ‘shot’ of compressed air into the marine environment which forms an air bubble that expands under water. Impulsive seismic sources such as an airgun operate while underwater by opening a set of valves to a chamber containing air under pressure. When the valves are open, the pressure supplied to the water peaks initially and decays as the air supply is exhausted. When an airgun is discharged, there is a period required to recharge the chamber with compressed air, which limits the operating time available to discharge the next shot. Consequently, such impulsive seismic sources produce a high amount of acoustic energy over a short time on an intermittent basis. The impulsive seismic signal transmitted from the second source propagates in all directions with a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz, typically in the range of 5 to 300 Hz.

One embodiment of a system (20) for acquiring marine seismic survey data is now described with reference to FIG. 2. The system includes a first source (22) for transmitting a first source signal (24) into a marine environment (26) over a predetermined period of time. The system further includes a second source (28) for transmitting a second source signal (30) into the marine environment over the sane predetermined period of time. The first source signal (24) is a continuously varying seismic signal that is transmitted, for example, from a magneto-hydrodynamic source. Preferably, the continuously varying seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0-5 Hz. The second source signal (30) is an impulsive seismic signal that is transmitted, for example, from an airgun. Preferably, the impulsive seismic signal preferably has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz, typically in the range of 5 to 300 Hz. The system includes a marine seismic receiver (32) for detecting a first received signal (34) generated by the first source signal (24), and, a second received signal (36) generated by the second source signal (30), to produce a set of acquired seismic survey data (38). The system includes a data recorder (40) for recording the set of acquired seismic survey data (38). It is to be understood that the ‘continuous’ operation of the first source (22) occurs during the predetermined period of time during which acquisition of marine seismic data is occurring in use. The first source signal (22) may be switched off during a period of time when a marine seismic survey is not being conducted or at any time that seismic survey data is not being acquired. The first received signal (34) is generated by interaction of the first source signal (24) with an interface (41) of a geological feature (42). The second received signal (36) is generated by interaction of the first source signal (30) with an interface (41) of a geological feature (42).

The type of marine seismic receiver (32) may be any known device used in the art of marine seismic surveying to detect seismic energy, including pressure or pressure time gradient responsive sensors, particle motion responsive sensors, or combinations thereof. Conventional seismic signal receivers known in the art, such as; geophones, accelerometers, multi-component sondes, or hydrophones, may be used for detecting the first received signal (34) and the second received signal (36). During a marine seismic survey, each signal detected by the marine seismic signal receiver is logged along with the orientation and position of each seismic source relative to each signal receiver.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the marine seismic receiver (32) is a single streamer (44) towed from a seismic survey vessel (46). The data recorder (40) may be positioned on the marine survey vessel (46) or positioned at a remote location, such as an onshore location. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the streamer is one of a plurality of streamers in a towed array (48). Whilst four streamers are shown in FIG. 3, it is to be understood that any number of streamers may be used, for example, 6, 8, 10 or 12, each streamer being separated from each neighbouring streamer by a nominal distance, for example 100 to 400 m to minimize the potential for tangling of the streamer as the vessel turns around at the end of a completed traverse to prepare for the next traverse across the survey area. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, each streamer (44) includes a plurality of marine seismic receivers in the form of hydrophones (50) positioned at spaced-apart locations along the length of the streamer. Each streamer is preferably towed at a depth (52) below the water line (54) of at least ten meters to minimize swell noise and to reduce impact of any low-frequency receiver ghost signals.

In an alternative embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the marine seismic receiver (32) is an ocean bottom cable (60) arranged on the ocean floor (61). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the ocean bottom cable is one of a plurality of ocean bottom cables in a seabed array (62). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the marine seismic receiver (32) is in the form of a seabed array (64) comprising a plurality of ocean bottom nodes (66).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 4, the first source (22) is towed using a first source tow cable (70) behind the marine survey vessel (46) and the second source (28) is towed using a second source tow cable (72) behind the same marine survey vessel (46). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the second source (28) is towed using a second source tow cable (72) behind the same marine survey vessel (46) that is being used to tow the towed array (48) of streamers (44), whilst the first source (22) is being towed using a first source tow cable (70) behind a second vessel (74). Advantageously, the second vessel may be a smaller and cheaper vessel to hire than a marine seismic survey vessel that is capable of towing a streamer, so the costs can be contained and additional benefits can be derived. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the first source (22) is arranged at a fixed location (80) on the ocean floor (61). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the first source (22) is suspended to a pre-determined depth (82) from a buoy (84) arranged at a fixed location (86) at the waterline (54). Any of these source configurations can be used in combination with any of the marine seismic receiver configurations described above.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 8, the first source (22) is one of a plurality of first sources arranged in a first source array (88) to generate directional acoustic energy form a plurality of continuously varying seismic signals. The first source array (88) may be a phased array. By way of example, the first source array may include two first sources which are synchronised to achieve a wide-azimuth acquisition. In this embodiment, one of the plurality of first sources (22) is configured to transmit a continuously varying or oscillating pressure wave from the marine survey vessel (46) and a second one of the plurality of first sources (22) is configured to transmit a continuously varying pressure wave from the second vessel (74). The use of a plurality of first sources is advantageous as it allows for transmission of continuously varying pressure waves that reinforce subsurface features or cancel out noise and other spurious signals. The plurality of first sources can be used to generate pressure waves from a variety of directions and their use can generate broadband information of subsurface formations that would not be detectable if only one source is used.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9, a first source (22) is arranged at a long offset location (90) to generate diving waves and refractions with a second source (28) being arranged at a short offset location (92) to generate reflected and multiple energy. The physics of wave propagation means that at frequencies below about 5 Hz, most of the seismic energy measured in a seismic survey is in the form of diving waves and refractions which require long offsets to detect. Whereas above 5 Hz most of the energy measured is from reflected and multiply reflected waves which are best detected with short offsets. The approach described here would allow us to optimise the acquisition design to measure both of these signals simultaneously.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10, the second source (28) is one of a plurality of second sources arranged in a second source array (94). The second source array (94) may be a phased array. Each of the second sources is arranged at a depth (96) below the waterline (54) of at least ten meters to minimize swell noise and to reduce impact of any low-frequency receiver ghost signals. However, it is to be understood that this is optional and the second source may equally arranged a shallow depth of one to three meters below the waterline. In FIG. 10 the first source array (88) includes one of the first sources (22) suspended from a first buoy (97) at a first predetermined depth (99) below the waterline (54) with another first source (22) being suspended from a second buoy (101) at a second predetermined depth (103) below the waterline (54).

Any of these source configurations can be used in combination with any of the marine seismic receiver configurations described above.

Now that the system has been described, a flow chart of one embodiment of the method of acquiring marine seismic survey data (110) is illustrated in FIG. 11. In step (112), a first source signal is transmitted from a first source into the marine environment over a predetermined period of time, the first source signal being a continuously varying seismic signal. In step (114), a second source signal is transmitted from a second source into the marine environment over the predetermined period of time, the second source signal being an impulsive seismic signal. In step (116), a first received signal generated by the first source signal, and, a second received signal generated by the second source signal is detected by a marine seismic receiver to produce a set of acquired seismic survey data. In step (118), the set of acquired seismic survey data is recorded.

The set of acquired seismic survey data may be acquired by a first party and made available for processing by a second party. Referring to the flow charts illustrated in FIG. 12a and FIG. 12b , the present invention provides a method of processing marine seismic survey data (120). The method includes the step (122) of accessing a recorded set of seismic survey data acquired in a marine seismic survey. The set of acquired seismic survey data includes a first received signal generated by a first source signal, and, a second received signal generated by a second source signal, wherein the first source signal is a continuously varying seismic signal transmitted by a first source over a predetermined period of time, and, the second source signal is an impulsive seismic signal transmitted by a second source signal over the predetermined period of time. The method of processing further includes the step (124) of processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal. The step of processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal is made easier if the first seismic signal is an encoded signal. The step of processing can be conducted using simple band-pass filtering or more advanced techniques such as correlation, prediction-error filtering or deconvolution could be used to maximize the signal to noise ratio in the extracted separated data. FIG. 12a includes the step (126) of applying Full Waveform Inversion to the first received signal and the second received signal to generate a final model. Alternatively, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 12(b), the step of processing includes step (128) of applying Full Waveform Inversion to the first received signal to generate an initial model and using the initial model as a starting point for applying Full Waveform Inversion to the second received signal to generate a final model.

FIG. 13 shows selected portions of the hardware and software architecture of a computing apparatus (130) such as may be employed in some aspects of the present invention. Note that, in some embodiments, the computing apparatus (130) may be implemented on board the marine survey vessel (46). However, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13, the computing apparatus is a separate computing apparatus located at the processing center (132), shown in FIG. 2. The computing apparatus (130) includes a processor (134) communicating with storage (136) over a bus system (138). The storage (136) may include a hard disk and/or random access memory (“RAM”) and/or removable storage such as a floppy magnetic disk (140) and an optical disk (142). The storage (136) is encoded with a set of acquired marine seismic data (138). The seismic data (138) is acquired as discussed above relative to FIG. 2. The set of acquired seismic data (138) includes the first received signal (34) and the second received signal (36).

The storage (136) is also encoded with an operating system (142), user interface software (144), and an application (146). The user interface software (144), in conjunction with a display (148), implements a user interface (150). The user interface (150) may include peripheral I/O devices such as a keypad or keyboard (152), a mouse (154), or a joystick (156). The processor (134) runs under the control of the operating system (142), which may be any operating system known to the art. The application (146) is invoked by the operating system (142) upon power up, reset, or both, depending on the implementation of the operating system (146). The application (146), when invoked, performs the method of the present invention. The user may invoke the application in conventional fashion through the user interface (150).

Note that there is no need for the set of acquired seismic data (138) to reside on the same computing apparatus (130) as the application (146) by which it is processed. Some embodiments of the present invention may therefore be implemented on a computing system, e.g., the computing system (160) in FIG. 14, comprising more than one computing apparatus. For example, the seismic data (138) may reside in a data structure residing on a server (162) and the application (146) by which it is processed on a workstation (164) where the computing system (160) employs a networked client/server architecture. However, there is no requirement that the computing system (160) be networked. Alternative embodiments may employ, for instance, a peer-to-peer architecture or some hybrid of a peer-to-peer and client/server architecture. The size and geographic scope of the computing system 150 is not material to the practice of the invention. The size and scope may range anywhere from just a few machines of a Local Area Network (“LAN”) located in the same room to many hundreds or thousands of machines globally distributed in an enterprise computing system.

The application (146) operates on the set of acquired seismic data (138) to extract the first received signal (34) and the second received signal (36), and, preferably, to perform Full Waveform Inversion processing on one or both of the extracted first received signal and extracted second received signal. As described above, the set of acquired seismic data (138) is acquired using one of the embodiments of the method of acquiring seismic data of the present invention already describe in detail above.

As is apparent from the discussion above, some portions of the detailed descriptions herein are presented in terms of a software implemented process involving symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a memory in a computing system or a computing device. These descriptions and representations are the means used by those in the art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. The process and operation require physical manipulations of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical, magnetic, or optical signals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated. It has proven convenient at times, principally for reasons of common usage, to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like.

It should be borne in mind, however, that all of these and similar terms are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless specifically stated or otherwise as may be apparent, throughout the present disclosure, these descriptions refer to the action and processes of an electronic device, that manipulates and transforms data represented as physical (electronic, magnetic, or optical) quantities within some electronic device's storage into other data similarly represented as physical quantities within the storage, or in transmission or display devices. Exemplary of the terms denoting such a description are, without limitation, the terms “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “displaying,” and the like.

Note also that the software implemented aspects of the invention are typically encoded on some form of program storage medium or implemented over some type of transmission medium. The program storage medium may be magnetic (e.g., a floppy disk or a hard drive) or optical (e.g., a compact disk read only memory, or “CD ROM”), and may be read only or random access. Similarly, the transmission medium may be twisted wire pairs, coaxial cable, optical fiber, or some other suitable transmission medium known to the art. The invention is not limited by these aspects of any given implementation.

Embodiments of a magneto-hydrodynamic device that is suitable for use as the first source for the system and methods of the present invention are now described, by way of example only.

In broad terms, the magneto-hydrodynamic source of the present invention relies on an electrical field being applied transversely to a volume of seawater within a uniform, intense magnetic field. The resulting Lorenz force drives a flow of seawater at right angles to the electric and magnetic fields. The Lorenz force over a region of uniform electric and magnetic field can be calculated by the formula:

F=J×B×V,

-   -   where F is the force, J is the electric current density and B is         the magnetic flux density in the volume V.

As the resulting force on the seawater is directly proportional to the applied electric field, the movement of the flow of seawater is able to be precisely controlled by varying the applied current supplied to the electrodes. The Lorentz force acting on the seawater is produced by the electric field applied at right angles to the magnetic field. The conductive seawater will move rapidly in the direction of the Lorentz force when the electric field is applied. With the magnetic field being held at a constant magnetic flux, the flow of water from the magneto-hydrodynamic source is a linear function of the applied electric field making it possible to generate a low frequency flow of seawater that overcomes the limitations of prior art impulsive and vibration sources. The movement of the flow of seawater generated using the ‘magneto-hydrodynamic source’ of the present invention creates a pressure wave suitable for marine seismic surveying. To generate a seismic signal, the applied electric field is continuously varied.

A first embodiment of a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source for use in the method and system of the present invention is now described with reference to FIG. 15 and FIG. 16. The magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source (210) includes a hollow, non-magnetic, electrically-insulated casing (212). The source includes a fluid flow channel (218) having a first end (214) and a second end (216), the fluid flow channel having a longitudinal axis (219) extending from the first end of the fluid flow channel to the second end of the fluid flow channel. Preferably, the casing (212) has a central longitudinal axis (217) and the longitudinal axis (219) of the fluid flow channel (218) is parallel to or co-axial with the central longitudinal axis (217) of the casing (212). A plurality of electromagnets (220) is arranged along the longitudinal axis of the fluid flow channel (218) to generate a uniform magnetic field in the direction generally designated by the arrow labelled with the reference label ‘H’ in FIGS. 15 and 16. As can be seen from FIG. 2, the induced magnetic field is at right angles to the fluid flow channel (218) and the casing (212). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the plurality of superconducting magnets comprises a first saddle-type superconducting electromagnet (222) arranged along a first side (224) of the channel and a second paired saddle-type superconducting electromagnet (226) arranged on a second opposing side (228) of the channel creating a uniform induced magnetic field at right angles to the bore of the casing.

It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the use of a pair of electromagnets. Any number of electromagnets may be included in the plurality of electromagnets provided only that a uniform magnetic field is induced at right angles to the bore of the casing. Superconducting electromagnets are the preferred kind of electromagnets for the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention because once a superconductor magnet is powered up, they are capable of retaining a uniform intense magnetic field for an extended period of time. This time can be maximised by circulating a coolant such as liquid nitrogen through the superconducting electromagnets to improve performance. Other kinds of electromagnets other than superconducting electromagnets, for example, toroidal or solenoidal electromagnets, may be used. It is to be further understood that the fluid flow channel need not be cylindrical in cross-section, provided only that a flow of seawater can pass through the fluid flow channel from the first end to the second end.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, a first electrode (230) is positioned within the fluid flow channel (218) on the first side (232) of the fluid flow channel (218), the first electrode being positioned opposite a second electrode (232) that is positioned within the casing on a second opposing side (236) of the fluid flow channel. Using this arrangement, the first and second electrodes (230 and 234, respectively) are positioned within the casing at right angles to the magnetic field (designated as ‘H’) induced by the plurality of electromagnets (220). In use, a power source (238) in electrical communication with the first and second electrodes is actuated to apply a continuously varying electrical current across the first and second electrodes to generate a controlled electric field extending from the first electrode (230) towards the second electrode (234) in the direction generally designated by the arrow labelled with the reference label ‘E’ in FIG. 16 which is at right angles to the magnetic field ‘H’. The interaction of the fixed magnetic field and the continuously varying electrical field generates the Lorenz force that acts on the conductive seawater present within the fluid flow channel (218). Using the magneto-hydrodynamic source of the present invention, an inflow of seawater (240) is caused to enter the first end (214) of fluid flow channel (218) with a corresponding outflow of seawater (242) in the form of a seismic signal being produced from the second end (216) of the fluid flow channel (218). The Lorentz force applied to the inflow and outflow (240 and 242, respectively) varies in proportion to the continuously varying electrical field generated across the first and second electrodes by the power supply. If the power source (238) is actuated to apply a constant electrical current across the first and second electrodes, the inflow and outflow (240 and 242, respectively) would also be constant, with the result that the outflow of seawater (242) would not be suitable for use in generating a seismic signal.

By way of example only, assuming that the casing is one metre long and the internal diameter of the bore of the casing is 0.25 metres, with a uniform magnetic field inside the bore of the casing of 5 Telsa, and an applied current of 2000 A, the Lorentz force acting on the seawater inside the chamber will be 2500 N. Assuming no frictional losses and assuming a seawater density of 1000 kg/m³ and no interference with the ocean as the magneto-hydrodynamic source is towed through it, a flow of 2.5 m³/s of seawater will be produced from the fluid flow channel under steady conditions. To create a sufficient signal for marine seismic surveys, it is estimated that a flow rate of 3 m³/s is required to for frequencies below 2 Hz. This is achieved using the simplified example given above by increasing the current applied to the electrodes.

A second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 17, 19 and 19 for which like reference numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, the seismic signal associated with the outflow (242) of seawater is generated using a pair of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic sources of the first embodiment arranged end to end. Using this arrangement, the pair of magneto-hydrodynamic sources are housed within a common casing (212) such that the fluid flow channels of each source are arranged end to end. The polarities of the plurality of superconducting electromagnets (220) arranged along the casing (212) are paired and opposed such that a first inflow of seawater (244) enters at the first end (214′) of a first fluid flow channel (218′) and a second inflow of water (246) enters at the second end (216″) of a second fluid flow channel (218″). In this embodiment, the casing includes a discharge port (248) for producing an outflow of seawater (242) in the form of a seismic signal. In this embodiment, the single discharge port (248) directs the outlet flow of sea water radially outwardly from the casing (212) at a predetermined angle (generally designated by the arrow labelled with the reference numeral 242 in FIG. 19) to control the direction of propagation of the seismic signal. The discharge port is positioned a discharge location (249) intermediate between the first end (214′) of the first fluid flow channel (218′) and the second end (216″) of the second fluid flow channel (218″). To maximise the stability of the magneto-hydrodynamic source, the discharge location is centrally located between the first end of the first fluid flow channel and second end of the second fluid flow channel in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 17 but this is not essential to the working of this embodiment of the present invention.

In a third embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 20 and 21, the discharge port (246) takes the form of a plurality of spaced apart apertures (250) such that the outflow of seawater (242) is directed radially outwardly from the casing (212). The second and third embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 17 to 21 effectively double rate of the outflow of seawater (242) generated using the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source compared with the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 15.

The precision with which the power supply applies a continuously varying electric current across the first and second electrodes of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source is able to be controlled is far higher for the magneto-hydrodynamic source of the present invention, than the mechanical switching and movement involved in opening an airgun. Impulsive seismic sources such as an airgun operate while underwater by opening a set of valves to a chamber containing air under pressure. When an airgun is discharged, there is a period required to recharge the chamber with compressed air, which limits the operating time available to discharge the next shot. When the valves are open, the pressure supplied to the water peaks initially and decays as the air supply is exhausted. In contrast, the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention can operate continuously as there is no need for recharge, and the flow rate can be varied during each transmission event by changing the current supplied to the electrodes. As there is no requirement to provide a compressed air supply to the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention, the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source is more portable and adapted for use in other situations where an air gun is used, such as vertical seismic profiling on drilling rigs, or using a vessel of opportunity to operate a source array independently of a hydrophone or geophone array.

As set out above in the ‘Background to the Invention’, conventional seismic sources used for marine seismic surveys have a limited bandwidth due to the finite volume of air that can be supplied for an individual pulse and the effect of increasing pressure if the source of the air is towed deeper below the surface of the water. As no bubble of air is used to move the water using the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention, the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source overcomes the low frequency limitation of prior art devices. Advantageously, the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source is able to continuously generate a flow of water as long as power is supplied to the electrodes. As the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source can vary continuously, the potential to use multiple sources in phased arrays to simultaneously illuminate subsea geological features exists. The ability to transmit a complex waveform enables an array of magneto-hydrodynamic seismic sources to reconstruct a variety of wavefields below the array. These can be optimised to illuminate selected regions of the subsurface by adjusting the waveforms of the outlet flows of seawater so that they arrive at a selected target location associated with a subsea geological feature in phase at a selected time. One of the limitations of an airgun is caused by the interaction of the pressure wave generated by the airgun with the surface of the ocean. The energy travelling upward after the airgun discharges is reflected downward again from the surface of the water in the form of a ghost signal. This reflected, downward travelling ghost signal interferes with the rest of the pressure wave, and causes a loss of low frequency energy for prior art impulsive sources. Because the seismic signal generated by the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention is generated by moving an outflow pulse of seawater through seawater, the compressibility problems associated with the air bubbles generated by conventional air guns are avoided. The magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention is able to transmit an arbitrary waveform which can be tuned to deliver a seismic signal with a waveform that interferes constructively with the ghost signal to eliminate its effects. By controlling the power supplied to the electrodes, the seismic signal generated by the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source can have a magneto-hydrodynamic waveform in the form of a series of spikes an oscillating wave form, a sinusoidal wave form, a broadband signal, a narrow band signal, an array-based signal, a phased-array signal, a coded wave form (which is a random wave form generated according to a rule), or a monochromatic waveform. One of the main advantages of being able to generate broadband seismic signals using the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention is that noise becomes more random, making it easier to deal with.

FIGS. 22 and 23 illustrate an alternative embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention, for which like reference numerals refer to like parts. In this embodiment, the fluid flow channel (218) is one of a plurality of fluid flow channels, each fluid flow channel having a first end (214) and a second end (216). In this embodiment, the casing (212) is cylindrical and each of the fluid flow channels has a longitudinal axis (217) that runs parallel to the central longitudinal axis (219) of the casing (212). However, in this embodiment, the longitudinal axis (217) of each fluid flow channel is parallel to and radially offset from the central longitudinal axis (219) of the casing (212) so that the plurality of flow fluid channels is evenly spaced around the circumference of the casing. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 23, the plurality of electromagnets (220) is provided in the form of a plurality of magnet segments (302), preferably toroidal magnet segments, arranged around the circumference of the casing (212) to generate a uniform circular magnetic field in the direction generally designated by the arrow labelled with the reference label ‘H’ in FIG. 23. As can be seen from FIG. 23, the induced magnetic field is at right angles to each of the plurality of fluid flow channels (218).

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23, there is a corresponding number of fluid flow channels (218) and toroidal coil magnet segments (302), with four of each being illustrated in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 for illustrative purposes only. The plurality of electromagnets comprises four toroidal coil magnet segments designated by the reference numerals 302 a, 302 b, 302 c and 302 d which are evenly spaced apart around the circumference of the casing (212). The plurality of fluid flow channels comprises four fluid flow channels designated by the reference numerals 304 a, 304 b, 304 c and 304 d. It is to be understood that any number of toroidal coil magnet segments can be used, with four being shown in FIG. 22 and FIG. 23 for illustrative purposes only. In this embodiment, each fluid flow channel is provided with a first electrode (330) positioned on a first side (332) of the fluid flow channel, the first electrode being positioned opposite a second electrode (334) that is positioned within the fluid flow channel on a second opposing side (336) of the fluid flow channel. Referring to FIG. 23, the fluid flow channel designated with the reference numeral (304 a) is provided with a first electrode designated by reference numeral (330 a) and a second electrode designated by reference numeral (334 a). In an analogous manner, the fluid flow channel designated with the reference numeral (304 b) is provided with a first electrode designated by reference numeral (330 b) and a second electrode designated by reference numeral (334 b). In an analogous manner, the fluid flow channel designated with the reference numeral (304 c) is provided with a first electrode designated by reference numeral (330 c) and a second electrode designated by reference numeral (334 c). In an analogous manner, the fluid flow channel designated with the reference numeral (304 d) is provided with a first electrode designated by reference numeral (330 d) and a second electrode designated by reference numeral (334 d).

In use, one or more power sources (338) in electrical communication with each of the first and second electrodes is actuated to apply an electrical current across the first and second electrodes to generate a controlled electric field extending from each first electrode (330) towards each second electrode (334) in the direction generally designated by the arrow labelled with the reference label ‘E’ in FIG. 23 which is at right angles to the magnetic field ‘H’. The interaction of the fixed magnetic field and the variable electrical field generates the Lorenz force that acts on the conductive seawater present within each fluid flow channel (304 a, 304 b, 304 c and 304 d). Using the magneto-hydrodynamic source of this embodiment of the present invention, an inflow of seawater (240) is caused to enter the first end (214) of each fluid flow channel (304 a, 304 b, 304 c, and 304 d) with a corresponding outflow of seawater (242) in the form of a seismic signal being produced from the second end (216) of each fluid flow channel (218, 304 a, 304 b, 304 c, and 304 d). The Lorentz force applied to the inflow and outflow (240 and 242, respectively) varies in proportion to the continuously varying electrical field generated across the first and second electrodes by the power supply.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 23, the one or more power sources (338) is configured whereby the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of fluid flow channels occurs in the same direction. In an alternative embodiment now described with reference to FIGS. 24 and 25, the one or more power sources (338) can be configured whereby the effective first end (214) and second (216) of a first subset (320) of fluid flow channels within the plurality of fluid flow channels can be reversed relative to a second subset (322) of fluid flow channels within the plurality of fluid flow channels. Referring to FIGS. 24 and 25, the first subset (320) comprises the fluid flow channels (304 a) and (304 c) and the second subset (322) comprises fluid flow channel (304 b) and (304 d). In this embodiment, the electric field extending from a first subset of first electrodes (330 a and 330 c, in this example) towards a corresponding first subset of second electrodes (334 a and 334 c) is controlled using a first power source (338 a) to generate a Lorenz force that acts on the conductive seawater present within the first subset of fluid flow channels (320) such that the seawater enters the first end (314 a) of fluid flow channel (304 a) and exits at the second end (316 a) of fluid flow channel (304 a), whilst seawater enters the first end (314 c) of flow channel (304 c) and exits at the second end (316 c) of fluid flow channel (304 c). At the same time, the electric field extending from a second subset of first electrodes (330 b and 330 d, in this example) towards a corresponding second subset of second electrodes (334 b and 334 d) is controlled using a second power source (338 b) to generate a Lorenz force that acts on the conductive seawater present within the second subset of fluid flow channels (322) such that the seawater enters the first end (314 b) of fluid flow channel (304 b) and exits at the second end (316 b) of fluid flow channel (304 c), whilst seawater enters the first end (314 d) of flow channel (304 d) and exits at the second end (316 d) of fluid flow channel (304 d). As can best be seen in FIG. 24, the direction of flow of seawater along the first subset of fluid flow channels is reversed compared with the direction of flow of seawater along the second subset of fluid flow channels. Advantageously, this embodiment can be used to neutralise the reaction force of the source relative to the marine environment in which it operates.

FIGS. 26 and 27 illustrate yet another alternative embodiment of the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source of the present invention, for which like reference numerals refer to like parts. These embodiments illustrate the use of a plurality of fluid flow channels (218) arranged at radially evenly spaced intervals around the circumference of the casing (212). The plurality of fluid flow channels (218) may be provided within the casing (212) as shown in FIG. 26, with eight fluid flow channels illustrated by way of example only. Alternatively, the plurality of fluid flow channels may be provided outside the casing as shown in FIG. 27, with six fluid flow channels illustrated by way of example only. In these embodiments, each fluid flow channel being provided with a plurality of superconducting magnets comprising a first saddle-type superconducting electromagnet (222) arranged along a first side (224) of the channel and a second paired saddle-type superconducting electromagnet (226) arranged on a second opposing side (228) of the channel. First and second electrodes (230 and 234, respectively) are positioned within each channel at right angles to the magnetic field induced by each pair of superconducting electromagnets (222). In use, a power source (238) in electrical communication with the first and second electrodes of each channel is actuated to apply a continuously varying electrical current across the first and second electrodes to generate a controlled electric field extending from each of the first electrodes towards each of the second electrodes at right angles to the magnetic field to cause an inflow of seawater with a corresponding outflow of seawater in the form of a seismic signal in the manner described above. Advantageously, using either of the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 26 or FIG. 27, the electrical current being generated across each set of first and second electrodes can be tuned to adjust the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of channels so as to counteract an overall drag force experienced by the magneto-hydrodynamic source when towed behind a marine vessel in use. Alternatively, the electrical current being generated across each set of first and second electrodes can be tuned to adjust the inflow and outflow of seawater through each of the plurality of channels so that the magneto-hydrodynamic source can be self-propelling.

Although only a few embodiments of this invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of this invention. By way of example, the marine survey vessel may be caused to traverse a non-linear sail line such as a curved sail line, a sinusoidal sail line or a circular sail line, during the marine seismic survey. Accordingly, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this invention.

It will be clearly understood that, although a number of prior art publications are referred to herein, this reference does not constitute an admission that any of these documents forms part of the common general knowledge in the art, in Australia or in any other country. In the statement of invention and description of the invention which follow, except where the context requires otherwise due to express language or necessary implication, the word “comprise” or variations such as “comprises” or “comprising” is used in an inclusive sense, i.e. to specify the presence of the stated features but not to preclude the presence or addition of further features in various embodiments of the invention. 

Claims defining the invention:
 1. A method of acquiring marine seismic survey data comprising: transmitting a first source signal from a first source into the marine environment over a predetermined period of time, the first source signal being a continuous seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to 5 Hz; transmitting a second source signal from a second source into the marine environment over the predetermined period of time, the second source signal being an impulsive seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz; detecting a first received signal generated by the first source signal, and a second received signal generated by the second source signal at a marine seismic receiver to produce a set of acquired seismic survey data; and recording the set of acquired seismic survey data during a marine seismic survey for subsequent processing.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source transmits a continuously varying seismic signal.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second source is an air gun, gas gun or sleeve exploder.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the second source transmits an impulsive seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz to 300 Hz.
 6. The method of claim 1 further comprising a marine seismic receiver for detecting the first received signal generated by the first source signal, and the second received signal generated by the second source signal, to produce the set of acquired seismic survey data.
 7. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal, wherein the step of processing comprises the step of applying Full Waveform Inversion to the first received signal and the second received signal to generate a final model.
 8. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal, wherein the step of processing comprises the step of applying Full Waveform Inversion to the first received signal to generate an initial model and using the initial model as a starting point for applying Full Waveform Inversion to the second received signal to generate a final model.
 9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal, wherein the step of processing comprises applying Full Waveform Inversion processing to the first received signal data and then the second received signal data.
 10. The method of claim 6 wherein the marine seismic receiver is a single streamer towed from a seismic survey vessel and the method comprises recording the set of acquired seismic survey data on a data recorder, wherein the data recorder is positioned on a marine survey vessel or positioned at a remote location.
 11. The method of claim 10 wherein the streamer is one of a plurality of streamers in a towed array.
 12. The method of claim 6 wherein the marine seismic receiver is an ocean bottom cable arranged on the ocean floor.
 13. The method of claim 12 wherein the ocean bottom cable is one of a plurality of ocean bottom cables in a seabed array.
 14. The method of claim 6 wherein the marine seismic receiver is a seabed array comprising a plurality of ocean bottom nodes.
 15. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source is towed using a first source tow cable behind a marine survey vessel and the second source is towed using a second source tow cable behind the marine survey vessel.
 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the second source and a towed array of streamers is towed behind a marine survey vessel and the first source is towed behind a second vessel.
 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source is arranged at a fixed location on the ocean floor.
 18. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source is suspended to a pre-determined depth from a buoy arranged at a fixed location at the waterline.
 19. The method of claim 1 wherein the first source is one of a plurality of first sources arranged in a first source array.
 20. The method of claim 19 wherein the first source array includes one of the plurality of first sources towed behind a marine survey vessel and a second one of the plurality of first sources towed behind a second vessel.
 21. The method of claim 1 wherein a first source is arranged at a long offset location and a second source is arranged at a short offset location.
 22. The method of claim 1 wherein the second source is one of a plurality of second sources arranged in a second source array.
 23. The method of claim 22 wherein the second source array is a phased array.
 24. The method of claim 1 wherein the second source is arranged at a depth below the waterline of at least ten meters.
 25. The method of claim 19 wherein a first source array includes a first source suspended from a first buoy at a first predetermined depth below the waterline with another first source being suspended from a second buoy at a second predetermined depth below the waterline.
 26. The method of claim 1 wherein the first received signal is an encoded signal.
 27. The method of claim 1 wherein the marine seismic survey is a narrow azimuth, wide azimuth, or multi-azimuth survey.
 28. The method of claim 1 wherein the marine seismic survey is a coil, slanted cable, or ocean bottom survey.
 29. The method of claim 1 wherein the marine seismic survey is 4D seismic survey.
 30. The method of claim 1 wherein the first seismic signal has a broadband waveform.
 31. The method of claim 1 wherein the first seismic signal has a coded waveform.
 32. The method of claim 1 wherein the first seismic signal has a continuously varying waveform in the form of a spike, a narrow band signal, or a monochromatic waveform.
 33. The method of claim 2 wherein the magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source comprises: a casing having a central longitudinal axis; a fluid flow channel having a first end and a second end and a longitudinal axis extending from the first end of the fluid flow channel to the second end of the fluid flow channel; a plurality of electromagnets arranged along the channel for generating a uniform magnetic field at right angles to the central longitudinal axis of the channel; a first electrode positioned on a first side of the fluid flow channel, the first electrode being positioned opposite a second electrode that is positioned on a second opposing side of the fluid flow channel; and a controllable power source in electrical communication with the first electrode and the second electrode for generating a continuously varying electric field between the first electrode and second electrodes to generate a continuously varying inflow of seawater into the first end of the fluid flow channel with a corresponding continuously varying outflow of seawater in the form of a seismic signal being produced from the second end of the fluid flow channel.
 34. A method of processing marine seismic survey data comprising: accessing a recorded set of seismic survey data acquired in a marine seismic survey, the set of acquired seismic survey data including a first received signal generated by a first source signal, and, a second received signal generated by a second source signal, wherein the first source signal is a continuous seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to 5 Hz transmitted by a first source over a predetermined period of time, and, the second source signal is an impulsive seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz transmitted by a second source signal over the predetermined period of time; and processing the acquired set of seismic survey data to extract the first received signal and the second received signal.
 35. The method of claim 34 wherein the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source.
 36. The method of claim 34 wherein the first source transmits a continuously varying seismic signal.
 37. The method of claim 34 wherein the second source is an air gun, gas gun or sleeve exploder.
 38. The method of claim 34 wherein the second source transmits an impulsive seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz to 300 Hz.
 39. A system for acquiring marine seismic survey data, comprising: a first source for transmitting a first source signal into a marine environment over a predetermined period of time, the first source signal being a continuous seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency in the range of 0 to 5 Hz; a second source for transmitting a second source signal into the marine environment over the predetermined period of time, the second source signal being an impulsive seismic signal having a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz; a marine seismic receiver for detecting a first received signal generated by the first source signal, and, a second received signal generated by the second source signal, to produce a set of acquired seismic survey data; and a data recorder for recording the set of acquired seismic survey data for subsequent processing.
 40. The system of claim 39 wherein the first source is a magneto-hydrodynamic seismic source.
 41. The system of claim 39 wherein the first source transmits a continuously varying seismic signal.
 42. The system of claim 39 wherein the second source is an air gun, gas gun or sleeve exploder.
 43. The system of claim 39 wherein the second source transmits an impulsive seismic signal has a bandwidth frequency greater than 5 Hz to 300 Hz. 